St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-06-30
THE QUEEN IN PUBLIC.

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wOman's bill.
THE QUEEN IN PUBLIC.
Her Appearance at the Peoples Palace
Opening.
London Letter.
1t is ten minutes past 5 when the
trumpet is heard outside that heIalds
the coming of the Queen. The whole
audience, floor and galleries alike,
arises. Doors are flung open choir
and leader wait breathless, and before
we, who are near the platform, catch
any glimpse of the head of the process
sion, "God Save the Queen" breaks
forth. 1t is stately welcome, but the
music silences the cheers which, 1 fan
cy, would have been more musical still
to the royal ear. Nobody regards the
group of men who lead the way the
one wish of those thousands inside, as
of the hundreds of thousands outside,
is to see how the Queen looks. The
first comment l heard was from lady
near whom l stOOd-a beautiful Amer
lean. "The Queen has got new bon
net" cried she. This new bonnet was
black, with something white or light
gray in it her gown all black. She
moved slowly, and, l thought, YEARLY,
and not strongly. Never had l seen
the rubicund face of English majesty
so near the usual complexion of the
English women. She looked not pre-
cisely pale, but wan. The short, rO-
tund figure had all its singular dignity
of old, but less than it's old vigor and
activity. Once more l had to admire,
xUI I 10
ing so royalty maintained by woman
to whom nature had denied the physi-
cal gifts which are thought to go with
distinction of department but of whom
birth and fifty years of sovereignty
have bestowed a manner quite match
less. The cheers broke out as the
song died away, but less spontaneous
ly than if men had had their way with
their own voices at the beginning, and
the Queen acknowledged them with
benignity.
There was the usual pause. The
prince, who had met his mother at the
top of the steps to the platform, talked
to her for minute while the function
aries arranged themselves then the
ceremony began.
The Queens carriage was an open
dark blue landau, large and heavy on
G springs, panels emblazOned with the
royal arms, no box, rumble behind,
drawn by four dark bays groomed to a
nicely, with harness and trappings on
which the saddler's art had said its
last word snowy, almost gaudy. The
two postillions in black jackets and
white breeches were boys to look at,
but might be of any years nothing is
so uncertain as the age of a human be-
ing who has to do with hOrsefesh.
When this equipage drew up at the
foot of the red-carpeted platform there
began a series of curiously elaborate
preparations. A fOotman, dismOunt-
ed outrider, and Clark, Highland gillie
in semi succession to the late John
Brown, were none too many for the
work that had to be done. Skids
were got ont and the off hind wheel
was blocked fore and aft, lest the ner-
vOus team start while her majesty is
getting in. The harness is looked over,
strap by strap, and buckle by buckle,
rapidly but surely. Clark lets down
the steps of the landau, gets in, ar
ranges the wraps, clears the back seat,
dances about to make sure of the
springs, finally jumps up and down on
the lower step to make sure of that al
so. He is not a feather weight, but
nothing gives.
This fandango over the queen appears
at the door leaning on the arm of the
Prince of Wales, and leaning heavily.
Her coming and going have been made
easy to her 10y a gangway draped in
the eternal red cloth. The police ap-
peared to be under no alarm whatever
about the Queens personal safety.
The half dozen spectators of this scene
were allowed to stand within couple
of yards. Nothing would have been
easier than to do mischief if mischief
had been in anybOdy's mind, as hap
PLY it was not. The queen walked
very slowly and heavily down her
gangway the lord chamberlain wav-
ing his long wand and retreating side
ways before her. Clark stood by the
open carriage door. Her Majesty
seemed not to be aware of the little
group looking on she had passed out
of the hall and beyond the gaze of
strangers, as she thought, and had
dropped for one moment the mask she
had worn inside. The eyes were lus
terless, the muscles of the face had re-
laxed; its paleness was more than
ever noticeable the eyes weary; there
was something that looked like a
touch of ill-temper at some incident
that had not gone to her liking. Not
a word was spoken there was no
cheer nothing broke the deferen tial
silence of the court yard but the stamp
of horses feet and the clank of steel.
The murmur of the multitude came
from outside, but no cheer, for to them
the queen was not yet visible. She
set her foot on the step of the carriage,
but the effort was too much for her,
and she had to be helped had al
most said hoisted-in by the prince on
one side and Clark on the ether. The
venerable figure stumbled in some
how demeanor not at that moment
an object of consideration. Once in,
the queen re-arranged all the wraps
Clark had arranged for her. 1t was a
minute before matters were to her
taste. Meantime Princess Christian
and Princess Beatrice were waiting.
When their mother had settled herself
on the back seat in solitary grandeur
the two daughters entered, then with a
bang the door closed. Clark Chamber
ed into the rumble. Colonel Byng
rode up to his place just behind the
door, the outriders started on, and the
huge machine with its royal freight
got under way. The guards presented
arms-it was done as one man, or
rather as by machine. The Life
Guards wheeled and formed up for
one Moment the court ward was all